We just replaced the old OpenID login system with a more modern oAuth-based system. We added a few new login options (yay, Facebook and Twitter!) and removed several others. For most people, this will be a seamless transition. You may get a new app authorization screen the first time you log in under the new system, but everything else should be updated automatically.

Most of the deprecated oAuth providers had never been used in our system (anybody ever heard of Vidoop?), but there are a couple dozen people who’ve signed in on one of these old providers.

Specifically, WordPress, Blogger, and LiveJournal each had a handful of users who used on those systems when they created their accounts with us. If you are still part of the Match The Memory, you can log in with one of the more modern providers. We can manually transfer any games and images that you may have created under your old account if you contact us. Just let us know the email addresses of your old account and your new account, and we’ll get things switched over.

Many of the polished games here on Match the Memory have been created by me, for the simple reason that I know how to use the site best and that I understand what’s needed to make an interesting and good-looking concentration game. Because I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. “I’m a Mormon“), a lot of the games that I’ve made have been for my own use in the LDS Church. I’d like to share some of those games with you.

LDS Apostles

The second game ever created on Match the Memory (after my own sample game) was the LDS Apostles game. It features the current First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and has a fun song that pops up after you win. (Anytime there is a new member of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve, I will update this game.) Every time that General Conference rolls around, I promote this game on Twitter, because it can help children familiarize themselves with the apostles before or during conference sessions. For years, I’ve brought the printed version of this game to my Primary classes the week before General Conference, and the kids always like it.

Utah Temples

A few months later, I created the Utah Temples and Venezuela Maracaibo Mission games. The first shows several LDS temples throughout the state of Utah, while the second features some of the experiences I had on my mission in Venezuela between 2000 and 2002.

LDS Presidents

I also made a Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints game during that same time. It helps with memorization of the Church’s prophets, from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young on down to Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson. (And beyond — in the case of President Monson’s passing, it will be updated with his eventual successors.) There’s also a cute YouTube video of a little girl singing the “Latter-day Prophets” song.

Priesthood Holders

Several months later, I got to teach a Primary lesson about the power of the priesthood. (Elijah Uses the Priesthood, from the Primary 6 lesson manual.) The book suggests, “Ask the children to name some brethren they know who hold the priesthood…. Discuss with the children how each of these people could or does use the priesthood to bless their lives.” I made a game called Priesthood Holders that lists several offices (e.g. Bishop or Missionary) and people (e.g. Father or Brother) and, when each match is found, asks how that person could use the priesthood. I took my laptop to class and we played the game and talked about each person’s use of the priesthood.

Keep Christ in Christmas

At Christmastime that year, I made a game called Keep Christ in Christmas. It has religious paintings and tells the story of Jesus Christ’s birth using the scriptures from the New Testament. For example, on the Good Tidings of Great Joy picture, the match pop-up has the corresponding scriptures from Luke 2 about the angels visiting the shepherds in the fields.

Book of Mormon People

This year, I got to teach the first lesson in the Primary 4 manual about the Book of Mormon and how we received it to a class of 11-year-olds. I decided that I’d create a matching game that highlights some of the major people in the Book of Mormon (and the latter-day coming-forth of the Book of Mormon), using the paintings from the Church’s Gospel Art Picture Kit. I called it Book of Mormon People. Each match shares the abbreviated story from the picture and links to the full story on the Church’s site. There’s also a cool video about the Book of Mormon that pops up when you finish the game. When I told the kids in the class that we were going to play a game, one boy asked rather skeptically, “Does it involve technology?” and I told him, “Yes, it does,” and whipped out my iPad to play the game. He was impressed. They really enjoyed playing, and would have done it over and over if we’d had time.

Book of Mormon Languages

I also made a game called Book of Mormon Languages that shows the covers of several language editions of the Book of Mormon, with the name of each language written on the card. From plain old English and Spanish, to more exotic scripts like Vietnamese and Japanese, this is a fun introduction to the worldwide nature of missionary work using the Book of Mormon.

So that’s all that I’ve done with LDS-themed memory games. What can you create on Match the Memory? A memorization guide for seminary Mastery Scriptures? A concentration game about the Young Women values? A colorful game showing different kinds of bugs for your Cub Scout den? Let us know in the comments.

Match the Memory has been around for more than a year now, so we’ve been through all of the major holidays at least once. In that time, we’ve built a few holiday-themed concentration games for you to play at home or in the classroom. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently got a request to add a classroom mode to the site. Someone was creating a personalized memory game and wanted to be able to use it in a large group setting where one person would control the computer, but many people would be able to call out which card to flip over. It took me a few weeks to get around to coding the solution, since I was also working on the canvas-based version of the game, but Classroom Mode made its debut on the site this morning. Read the rest of this entry »

People like to play the concentration games at MatchTheMemory.com — there’s just something so satisfying about getting all of the matches on a game one by one. Making progress through the game, watching the little cards pop up when you get a match, and hearing the final cheer when you win — it makes you happy.

So it naturally follows that a game is a great draw for making people familiar with your brand or business. If you’re a business owner, you can quickly and easily create a customized memory game that shows off your products. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve created more personalized memory games on Match The Memory than anyone else by far, and in the process I’ve learned what makes a good-looking game stand out from an unattractive or boring one. Here’s some tips that may help you when you’re making your next custom game. Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrate the month of May with a free PDF download of your game. From May 1 to May 31, 2010, you can get a free version of your personalized memory game to print at home. It’s our way of saying thank you to our fans, and a little encouragement to create more custom games on Match the Memory.

When I first decided to create Match The Memory, it was a lightning-struck-my-brain kind of moment. I didn’t know anything about what other kinds of games existed, either to play online or for purchase of a physical game. It was just an idea while I was at my parents’ cabin: I could create a pretty cool game that someone could personalize, play online, and print.

Once I got home and started creating the site, I looked into my competition, and I what I found didn’t impress me much. There are three basic kinds of memory games out there, and I’ll go through each of them and discuss their shortcomings and how Match The Memory overcomes those faults to make for a great game experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Match The Memory has been my baby for more than six months, and I’ve worked on it hundreds of hours during that time. I’m adding to it every day.

But I can’t do it alone. Mine is only one opinion, and I want to make the best memory matching game possible. That means I need your input. Let me know in the comments what you think could be done to make this a better web site.

I also need the input of your friends and family. Share the site with them (via email, blog, Facebook, Twitter, whatever!) and ask them to come check it out, and leave their mark on the site by contributing a great game and some feedback.